| Show II Hard Life Struggle of II Great Historian Historia 1 Special Correspondence A lm Jolt the tho perhaps of or A Pilgrims PilgrIm It Is h probable able that no mm great hoot book has hall ever em been boen written under conditions loss lem fa fit tl voluble to literary work and amid research than the tha History of ot Civilization In by Dr Di 1 1 James Janies Mackintosh whose whale fellow citizens citizen III In Aberdeen tiara have jut Just presented him with iv a 1 substantial sum um that tie lie may rosy live III In comfort cOm tort In hula his hi old age The little known story of ot this on his historians career affords afford a n striking proof of ot the tho capacity of ot genius to triumph over seemingly ae Insurmountable obstacles cles clu do clesHa Ha lie was WR born In IS 1633 1153 In a II thatched cottage collao of fit a Ii bleak farm furni In Ills 11 III father hud had fought an its a 1 common soldier urn or Wellington throughout the tho Peninsular campaign and had retired on au a pension Kven J vell with this Rid aid 10 so o scanty wole the thu family means that at 10 years euers of at the lie boy who was tyas destined del tined to income tho the foremost authority on Ills hits tory lory wan net fiOt to 10 work on nit the tue twin him iii Al Althis ALthIs 1 this till occupation he continued until l was nl whatever books he lie coil cou d I not get hold of ot a IU as tIme permitted 11 and In iii Inthe I the slackest months month of ot the winter w at nt attending I tending the village free freo school I The Tho Income from the lie little farm furm even with th the most moat rigid economy proving Insufficient to support nil mull the tho lII or of the time household young Mackintosh AUS 1111 next apprenticed lo to n II shoemaker and at nt this trade lie he worked for tOl H It years In various parts of or the lie north an of ot Meanwhile he eagerly availed himself of ot every overy r opportunity to In gratify hula his thirst for tor knowledge AM As AMle Aslie lie he le moved tram from place to 10 place he lie Joined local ocal literary end and debating s mutual Improvement clubs with Scotland abounds and nn prepared and amid read various papers on a II grout great variety of ot subjects TIde This work wua excellent preparation of ot Us Its kind and helped shape tie the bent Jent of ot his hili later mind and nn riper studIes hut hilt as liS his mind unfolded and autti his hili hI craving for tor the treasures of ot lII r he lie began to feel teel lie tho need of ot better botter books than titan lie tho II I of or such rural societies UH as h hwan hl his was wan connected with afforded Ills His own earnings at nt the last laRt did lilt not sutUre to 10 0 supply the lack of ot them It was not until lie he removed r to Aber Aler Aberdeen deen when whon 31 years old that lint he found sources of or learning opened up tip to 10 him commensurate comm with his hili requirements amid with indomitable pluck and ancI perse hurse perseverance verance ern ho set act to work to make mako tho tie most mORt of ot them He lie solved I the lie problem of ot providing himself with the means of ot livelihood by b Joining the lie city cUy Ill police force torce and amid for five years helped preserve order In Iii the ancient town assiduously haunting thin tho libraries white while e oft off duty lul Though much Interested Inter In inthe the develop development ment of ot law the practical enforcement of ot It was not 1101 much to lila his taste and In 16 9 he opened a 11 small stationery and book shop In one of ot tho ho poorest thoroughfares t of ot the lie city in 1882 he removed t to In Thread street under the shadow of ot college all c iC nail next to the tho lie house where Hyron nyron once lived and emuil It was here during thin the In Intervals of ot business mid and amid all nil the noise noille and of ot tho the street that he wrote the tho greater part hiatt of ot his lutz monumental work He lie was usually astIr ot at 6 ft m In the Hie for ho he preferred the hue morning ng sunlight to thin midnight d oil n an rt III th the tho early hours hour were few tew and nd allowed him more time to 10 devote to his work free tree from Interruption Ho Ito was wan usually able to 0 complete eight or nine mimic pages ge a 11 aIdea Iho Ides Idea of ot the thin work had entered hits hlA mind long before be hue settled down at nt Aberdeen In Iii the preface to ono one of or hula his hisor volume ho Inn I worked or fur tor son SOllie time before I l be br became became came camo fully tullY aware of ot the original ot of Information for tOl long after t I become aware e of ot the most value valuable tile ble and orIgInal materials of or history relating to tn my ni subject I had hail often otten ex IX difficulty In finding nCI aci s to them for tor this purpose of ot my researches Thin The lIbrarIes of ot mutual socIeties and Ind s wern ivern utterly In Hut BUl It U was 11 then thou that I prepared by bya Ii a 1 course of tt philosophic study umbrae Ing metaphysics psychology logi logli th tI kR hs und anti politics carefully rending reading hun hUll hundreds him of ot works on the tho these c p mutters matters both bolh ancient nail and nut It wu ni only oat after litter I obtained the privilege ff pC Ion con consulting On thin the library of or the Iho II of ot that I was isas enabled to 10 t prose pross prosecute elIte cute my ICY m special historical Inquiries with suite eur and advantage Hs HIs other oilier works It a vivid Ihl I of Hootch history hl tor III In Dm Iho lie of ot the thu N erl s which tan ruin through several ev ral n it 1 History of III the tho of ot His its nT or ot tho the of ot time the Dee Iee 1 Thin High lent land Land Question Historically Con em Considered The Tue hl devolution of ot 1085 nod and and Thu Historic I l IIII and of lit lie aldus ull all those thOMI Dr Ur Mackintosh line has written n a large number of lit for tOl newspapers and periodicals on such suli U ll subjects 5 a nN n N Hi Orul 1 culture en it lure nationality I I IIi the Ii e study tUdy at tid y of ot l ish literature I t II re national education trade mule unions union and amid strIkes mid and militarism Hut this the pecuniary his hili liter nry or unit and historical labors have brought him huau not been h rn great His I II books book arn am not nOl of or tIn the kind Ilind that lint appeal to the lie crowd oven even fill In III The making of ot mon loon monny ny El ha hn bias not hot been beon hits his aim In writing limiting them hem T Tivice lc he ho has bins received gifts from tim tha 1011 bounty bount In iii recognition of or his hi research and amid merit an as 1 n II In iii t 1000 he lie was ins granted n II pension of Of nil all the lie distinction hn hue imo hAil won this rugged old tild Kent Hrom who nil t that hu a t Is I best III In the tho I hi 0 traditional t I t I devotion to tu C scholarship for tor h his hiM IH lum renowned I is s proudest of nr f thud that on In hint by hi the tho lt of nt if It I t commemorated the publication bI ion of nr n C th Iho t Ii a I lust luM volume of nr hits his great Ir by h mak ing lug him Ii I to an a n my ii uil or nf lit i C laws lii III i |
